4th Northern Ireland Assembly facts for kids
Quick facts for kids 4th Northern Ireland Assembly |
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Overview | |||||||||||
Legislative body | Assembly | ||||||||||
Jurisdiction | Northern Ireland | ||||||||||
Meeting place | Parliament Buildings, Stormont |
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Term | 12 May 2011 – 29 March 2016 | ||||||||||
Election | 2011 assembly election | ||||||||||
Government | Executive of the 4th Assembly | ||||||||||
Members | 108 | ||||||||||
Speaker | Mitchel McLaughlin — William Hay until 13 October 2014 |
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First Minister | Arlene Foster — Peter Robinson until 11 January 2016 — Arlene Foster (Acting) until 20 October 2015 — Peter Robinson until 30 September 2015 |
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Deputy First Minister | Martin McGuinness — John O'Dowd (Acting) until 31 October 2011 — Martin McGuinness until 20 September 2011 |
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Sessions | |||||||||||
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The Fourth Northern Ireland Assembly was a group of elected representatives who made laws for Northern Ireland. It was like a parliament for Northern Ireland. This Assembly started on 12 May 2011 after an election. Its meetings took place in the Parliament Buildings at Stormont. The Assembly served for its full term.
In the 2011 election, 18 areas in Northern Ireland each chose six people to be Members of the Legislative Assembly (MLAs). The Democratic Unionist Party (DUP), led by Peter Robinson, was the biggest party. Sinn Féin, led by Gerry Adams, was the second biggest.
To make sure everyone worked together, the DUP, Sinn Féin, the Ulster Unionist Party (UUP), the Social Democratic and Labour Party (SDLP), and the Alliance Party of Northern Ireland formed a special government. This is called a power-sharing coalition. William Hay was chosen as the Speaker. He was like the chairperson of the Assembly. Later, Mitchel McLaughlin became the Speaker in October 2014.
The UUP and SDLP won fewer seats than before. The Alliance Party, led by David Ford, gained more seats. Some parties were not part of the main government. These included the Green Party in Northern Ireland, the Traditional Unionist Voice, NI21, and the United Kingdom Independence Party.
Many members from the previous Assembly were re-elected. About three-quarters of the MLAs from the 3rd Assembly returned. This included 83 people who had been MLAs before. Twenty of the MLAs elected in 2011 were women. There were 25 new MLAs, which was about 23% of all members.
Contents
How Many Members Did Each Party Have?
This table shows how many members each political party had in the Assembly.
Party | Type of Party | May 2011 election |
Jul 2015 end |
|
---|---|---|---|---|
● | Democratic Unionist Party | Unionist | 38 | 38 |
● | Sinn Féin | Nationalist | 29 | 28 |
● | Ulster Unionist Party | Unionist | 16 | 13 |
● | Social Democratic and Labour Party | Nationalist | 14 | 14 |
● | Alliance Party of Northern Ireland | Other | 8 | 8 |
Green Party in Northern Ireland | Other | 1 | 1 | |
Traditional Unionist Voice | Unionist | 1 | 1 | |
Independent | Unionist | 1 | 2 | |
NI21 | Unionist | - | 1 | |
UKIP | Unionist | - | 1 | |
Speaker | None | 0 | 1 | |
Totals by type | Unionist | 56 | 56 | |
Nationalist | 43 | 42 | ||
Other | 9 | 9 | ||
None | 0 | 1 | ||
Total | 108 | |||
● = Northern Ireland Executive |
How the Seats Looked
This is not the actual seating plan.
Who Were the Leaders?
- The Speaker was Mitchel McLaughlin (from Sinn Féin). Before him, it was William Hay (from the Democratic Unionist Party) until October 2014. The Speaker runs the Assembly meetings.
- The Principal Deputy Speaker was Robin Newton (Democratic Unionist Party).
- Other Deputy Speakers included John Dallat (Social Democratic and Labour Party) and Roy Beggs Jr (Ulster Unionist Party).
Leaders of the Government
- The First Minister was Peter Robinson, who also led the Democratic Unionist Party.
- The Deputy First Minister was Martin McGuinness.
- The main leader for Sinn Féin in the Assembly was Raymond McCartney.
- The leader of the Social Democratic and Labour Party was Alasdair McDonnell.
- The leader of the Alliance Party of Northern Ireland was David Ford.
Leaders of the Opposition Parties
- The leader of the Ulster Unionist Party was Mike Nesbitt.
- The leader of the Green Party in Northern Ireland was Steven Agnew.
- The leader of NI21 was Basil McCrea.
- The leader of Traditional Unionist Voice was Jim Allister.
- The leader of UKIP in the Assembly was David McNarry.
Members of the Assembly (MLAs) by Party
This is a list of all the MLAs elected in 2011, grouped by their political party.
Important Note: Paul Girvan and Paul Givan are two different people, even though their names sound similar. Also, Roy Beggs, Jr. is the son of another politician named Roy Beggs. Mark H. Durkan is the nephew of a former SDLP leader, Mark Durkan.
Party | Name | Constituency | |
---|---|---|---|
Democratic Unionist Party (38) | Sydney Anderson | Upper Bann | |
Jonathan Bell | Strangford | ||
Paula Bradley | Belfast North | ||
Thomas Buchanan | West Tyrone | ||
Gregory Campbell | East Londonderry | ||
Trevor Clarke | South Antrim | ||
Jonathan Craig | Lagan Valley | ||
Sammy Douglas | Belfast East | ||
Gordon Dunne | North Down | ||
Alex Easton | North Down | ||
Arlene Foster | Fermanagh and South Tyrone | ||
Paul Frew | North Antrim | ||
Paul Girvan | South Antrim | ||
Paul Givan | Lagan Valley | ||
Brenda Hale | Lagan Valley | ||
Simon Hamilton | Strangford | ||
David Hilditch | East Antrim | ||
William Humphrey | Belfast North | ||
William Irwin | Newry and Armagh | ||
Pam Lewis | South Antrim | ||
Gordon Lyons † | East Antrim | ||
Nelson McCausland | Belfast North | ||
Ian McCrea | Mid Ulster | ||
David McIlveen | North Antrim | ||
Michelle McIlveen | Strangford | ||
Adrian McQuillan | East Londonderry | ||
Gary Middleton †† | Foyle | ||
Maurice Morrow | Fermanagh and South Tyrone | ||
Stephen Moutray | Upper Bann | ||
Robin Newton | Belfast East | ||
Emma Pengelly † | Belfast South | ||
Edwin Poots | Lagan Valley | ||
George Robinson | East Londonderry | ||
Peter Robinson | Belfast East | ||
Alastair Ross | East Antrim | ||
Mervyn Storey | North Antrim | ||
Peter Weir | North Down | ||
Jim Wells | South Down | ||
Sinn Féin (28) | Cathal Boylan | Newry and Armagh | |
Michaela Boyle | West Tyrone | ||
Megan Fearon † | Newry and Armagh | ||
Phil Flanagan | Fermanagh and South Tyrone | ||
Chris Hazzard † | South Down | ||
Gerry Kelly | Belfast North | ||
Seán Lynch | Fermanagh and South Tyrone | ||
Alex Maskey † | Belfast West | ||
Declan McAleer † | West Tyrone | ||
Fra McCann | Belfast West | ||
Jennifer McCann | Belfast West | ||
Raymond McCartney | Foyle | ||
Rosie McCorley † | Belfast West | ||
Barry McElduff | West Tyrone | ||
Bronwyn McGahan † | Fermanagh and South Tyrone | ||
Martin McGuinness | Mid Ulster | ||
Daithí McKay | North Antrim | ||
Maeve McLaughlin † | Foyle | ||
Oliver McMullan | East Antrim | ||
Ian Milne † | Mid Ulster | ||
Conor Murphy † | Newry and Armagh | ||
Carál Ní Chuilín | Belfast North | ||
Cathal Ó hOisín | East Londonderry | ||
Máirtín Ó Muilleoir † | Belfast South | ||
John O'Dowd | Upper Bann | ||
Michelle O'Neill | Mid Ulster | ||
Caitríona Ruane | South Down | ||
Pat Sheehan | Belfast West | ||
Ulster Unionist Party (13) | Andy Allen † | Belfast East | |
Roy Beggs, Jr. | East Antrim | ||
Adrian Cochrane-Watson † | South Antrim | ||
Leslie Cree | North Down | ||
Jo-Anne Dobson | Upper Bann | ||
Sam Gardiner | Upper Bann | ||
Ross Hussey | West Tyrone | ||
Danny Kennedy | Newry and Armagh | ||
Michael McGimpsey | Belfast South | ||
Mike Nesbitt | Strangford | ||
Sandra Overend | Mid Ulster | ||
Alastair Patterson †† | Fermanagh and South Tyrone | ||
Robin Swann | North Antrim | ||
Social Democratic and Labour Party (14) | Alex Attwood | Belfast West | |
Dominic Bradley | Newry and Armagh | ||
John Dallat | East Londonderry | ||
Gerard Diver † | Foyle | ||
Mark H. Durkan | Foyle | ||
Colum Eastwood | Foyle | ||
Claire Hanna † | Belfast South | ||
Dolores Kelly | Upper Bann | ||
Daniel McCrossan † | West Tyrone | ||
Patsy McGlone | Mid Ulster | ||
Karen McKevitt | South Down | ||
Fearghal McKinney † | Belfast South | ||
Alban Maginness | Belfast North | ||
Seán Rogers † | South Down | ||
Alliance Party of Northern Ireland (8) | Judith Cochrane | Belfast East | |
Stewart Dickson | East Antrim | ||
Stephen Farry | North Down | ||
David Ford | South Antrim | ||
Anna Lo | Belfast South | ||
Trevor Lunn | Lagan Valley | ||
Chris Lyttle | Belfast East | ||
Kieran McCarthy | Strangford | ||
Green Party in Northern Ireland (1) | Steven Agnew | North Down | |
Traditional Unionist Voice (1) | Jim Allister | North Antrim | |
Independent (2) | John McCallister ‡ | South Down | |
Claire Sugden † | East Londonderry | ||
NI21 (1) | Basil McCrea ‡ | Lagan Valley | |
UKIP (1) | David McNarry ‡ | Strangford | |
Speaker (1) | Mitchel McLaughlin ‡ | South Antrim |
† Co-opted to replace an elected MLA
‡ Changed affiliation during the term
Members of the Assembly (MLAs) by Area
This list shows the MLAs for each area, in alphabetical order by the area's name.
† Co-opted to replace an elected MLA ‡ Changed affiliation during the term
New Members Elected in 2011
After the election in May 2011, 25 members from the previous Assembly were replaced by new ones. Some members chose not to run again, and others lost their seats. One member was re-elected but with a different party.
Changes in Membership Since the Election
Sometimes, an MLA might leave their seat before the next election. When this happens, a new person is chosen to take their place. This is called "co-option."
Date co-opted | Constituency | Party | Outgoing Member | New Member | Reason for Change | |
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1 April 2012 | South Down | SDLP | Margaret Ritchie | Seán Rogers | Margaret Ritchie left to focus on being a Member of Parliament. | |
13 April 2012 | South Down | Sinn Féin | Willie Clarke | Chris Hazzard | Willie Clarke left to focus on his role as a local councillor. | |
14 June 2012 | Foyle | Sinn Féin | Martina Anderson | Maeve McLaughlin | Martina Anderson left after becoming a member of the European Parliament. | |
7 July 2012 | Newry and Armagh | Sinn Féin | Conor Murphy | Megan Fearon | Conor Murphy left to focus on being a Member of Parliament. | |
7 July 2012 | West Tyrone | Sinn Féin | Pat Doherty | Declan McAleer | Pat Doherty left to focus on being a Member of Parliament. | |
7 July 2012 | Belfast West | Sinn Féin | Paul Maskey | Rosie McCorley | Paul Maskey left to focus on being a Member of Parliament. | |
7 July 2012 | Fermanagh and South Tyrone | Sinn Féin | Michelle Gildernew | Bronwyn McGahan | Michelle Gildernew left to focus on being a Member of Parliament. | |
8 April 2013 | Mid Ulster | Sinn Féin | Francie Molloy | Ian Milne | Francie Molloy left to focus on being a Member of Parliament. | |
12 September 2013 | Belfast South | SDLP | Conall McDevitt | Fearghal McKinney | Conall McDevitt resigned. | |
6 May 2014 | East Londonderry | Ind U | David McClarty | Claire Sugden | David McClarty sadly passed away. | |
20 October 2014 | Foyle | DUP | William Hay | Maurice Devenney | William Hay resigned. | |
22 October 2014 | Belfast South | Sinn Féin | Alex Maskey | Máirtín Ó Muilleoir | Alex Maskey resigned to move to a different area. | |
3 November 2014 | Belfast West | Sinn Féin | Sue Ramsey | Alex Maskey | Sue Ramsey resigned. | |
13 April 2015 | Foyle | DUP | Maurice Devenney | Gary Middleton | Maurice Devenney resigned. | |
8 June 2015 | Newry and Armagh | Sinn Féin | Mickey Brady | Conor Murphy | Mickey Brady was elected as a Member of Parliament. | |
29 June 2015 | South Antrim | UUP | Danny Kinahan | Adrian Cochrane-Watson | Danny Kinahan was elected as a Member of Parliament. | |
29 June 2015 | Fermanagh and South Tyrone | UUP | Tom Elliott | Neil Somerville | Tom Elliott was elected as a Member of Parliament. | |
29 June 2015 | Belfast South | SDLP | Alasdair McDonnell | Claire Hanna | Alasdair McDonnell left to focus on being a Member of Parliament. | |
19 August 2015 | East Antrim | DUP | Sammy Wilson | Gordon Lyons | Sammy Wilson left to focus on being a Member of Parliament. | |
15 September 2015 | Belfast East | UUP | Michael Copeland | Andy Allen | Michael Copeland resigned. | |
28 September 2015 | Belfast South | DUP | Jimmy Spratt | Emma Pengelly | Jimmy Spratt resigned. | |
7 January 2016 | Foyle | SDLP | Pat Ramsey | Gerard Diver | Pat Ramsey resigned. | |
7 January 2016 | West Tyrone | SDLP | Joe Byrne | Daniel McCrossan | Joe Byrne resigned. | |
27 January 2016 | Fermanagh and South Tyrone | UUP | Neil Somerville | Alastair Patterson | Neil Somerville resigned. |
When Did Members Change Parties?
Sometimes, an MLA might change which political party they belong to. This is called changing their "affiliation."
Date | Constituency | Name | Old Party | New Party | Reason for Change | ||
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
12 May 2011 | Foyle | William Hay | DUP | Speaker | William Hay became the Speaker of the Assembly. | ||
27 January 2012 | Strangford | David McNarry | UUP | Ind U | David McNarry was suspended from his party. | ||
4 October 2012 | Strangford | David McNarry | Ind U | UKIP | David McNarry joined UKIP. | ||
14 February 2013 | South Down | John McCallister | UUP | Ind U | John McCallister left his party after it made an agreement with another party. | ||
15 February 2013 | Lagan Valley | Basil McCrea | UUP | Ind U | Basil McCrea left his party after it made an agreement with another party. | ||
6 June 2013 | South Down | John McCallister | Ind U | NI21 | John McCallister helped start a new political party. | ||
6 June 2013 | Lagan Valley | Basil McCrea | Ind U | NI21 | Basil McCrea helped start a new political party. | ||
3 July 2014 | South Down | John McCallister | NI21 | Ind U | John McCallister left NI21 because of disagreements with the party's leader. | ||
12 January 2015 | South Antrim | Mitchel McLaughlin | Sinn Féin | Speaker | Mitchel McLaughlin was elected as the Speaker of the Assembly. |
More to Explore
- Members of the Northern Ireland Assembly elected in 2007
- 2011 Northern Ireland Assembly election
- Executive of the 4th Northern Ireland Assembly